Sunday, December 10, 2006

The third in the series is complete! Although I don't consider this the strongest in the series, I think it is still quite successful. Again I am trying to keep the image simple and strong. I want the use of space to stand out as the strongest element followed by movement (after reading "peace" the eye is lead back to the beginning by the dove who acts as an arrow). This series is not about technique but I did want some of the charracteristics of the linocut process to show through so I paid close attention to the direction of my cuts and let some ridges remain high enough to print.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

The second in the series, well actually it was the first plate cut: "Lasting Hope." Again limited to 50 but printed in gold ink this composition, like I mentioned before, uses positive and negative space, but doesn't lead the eye around quite as well as "Ringing Joy." I do, however, like the contrast between the organic shapes and the geometric. I find myself making different connections across the card... Am I really critiquing a Christmas card?! I suppose so, but then I enjoy composition and thinking about the things I see.

I am not sure it is worth mentioning as so few are made and they'll be gone before long, but you can drop me a line on email if you'ld like some and I have any left. They are $3.50 ea. and 3 for $10.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

OK, so I'm a little behind on the blogs... I've been busy. I thought I'd drop a note to show some of the smaller things I've been working on. Christmas cards!

I had a moment last weekend to sit down and put together some ideas for some simple cards. I tried, in this series to pair down the imagery into its simplest form while maintaining some compositional complexity. I think I was successful with the subtle play on positive and negative space while staying consistent in my division of space. In all I think this composition is interesting as the eye is lead up through the bells into a focal point at the bottom left of the "J."

All in all the limited series of 50 cards printed well and was actually quite a bit of fun.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

This is not a pipe. Ok, so maybe in some ways it is, after all, I am not Magritte either. I do, as all artists do at times, borrow from the masters. This drawing borrows from two (three if you count the slight reference to Magritte.) The first of the two is Egon Scheile: His use of line is quite amazing in itself as a way to make an image much more enjoyable and worthy of your time. The second is Paul Calle: He is the much lesser known of the two but still a master at graphite. His work was quite popular in the 60's and 70's. I particularity enjoy the way Calle lets the media show in a rather raw form. The refinement is in the draftsmanship, not in the overworking of the media. By allowing the direct application of the graphite to show, his work has an immediacy or freshness that becomes its greatest strength.

Returning to the subject of this sketch; this is the art pipe. It is a family gift, hand painted, and rather fragile. I use it for small celebrations at the completion of paintings I consider important. A ceremony, of sorts that deserves the strictest adherence.

Friday, September 22, 2006

I enjoy placing emphasis on the vertical in much of my work. I think this sketch reflects this as I repeat the cup from a stencil and rework it in prismacolor. Again, found text enters into the compostion.

Friday, September 01, 2006

On my trips to the summer studio I do enjoy reflecting on the past and what it must have been like to raise a family on the plains. The labor must have been considerable and the uncertainty has been passed down through the generations. This is a sulky; basically a small cart that can be attached behind other equipment while it was being pulled by hoarses.

This is a bit more than a sketch, but not by much. It is a small ink and watercolor done on a postcard to my daughter.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Playing around with the ideas of SARS and bird flu news while working out compositional and technical questions. El Gallo from Loteria or "Mexican Bingo" in the bottom right hand corner was created using a stencil and pastel shavings. I was thinking of Warhol's repetition of imagery in the media.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

The juxtaposition of found text in the newspapers is sometimes surprising and often entertaining. I use coffee cups metaphorically in my work for the mundane, every day routines that we get used to and often overlook or don't think much about.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Ok, from time to time I delve into the kitsch. This sketch was for a small series of three seasons as seen at my studio in ND. "Why an outhouse?" you might ask: No, this is not my studio!- for some reason outhouses have gained popularity for aesthetic purposes, a quaint reminder of the past, I suppose.

Friday, August 11, 2006

This is a small (6"X8") chalk pastel sketch from about ten years ago. After completing the drawing (working out the highlights, shadows, and pushing the color around to a satisfying and realistic form) I found the drawing itself lost some of that freshness of the original sketch. By reintroducing the loose contour lines the drawing regained some of its original life. My paintings still reflect this understanding and preference.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

I've always enjoyed the sketches of the masters because the sketch reveals a bit of the process and the urgency in the artwork. My work is an attempt to reveal the beauty of the sketch behind the painting. In a way, my recent work is inverting a painting; turning it inside out, so to speak, so that one can see the idea and the work behind the painting rather than just the finished work.

About Me

I am an artist currently working and living in California. My time is divided between teaching art and two studios, one in California and another in North Dakota.I spend my time during the summer months at the North Dakota studio.